There are a variety of different types of display hangers or hooks that are presently in wide use. One of those display hooks is a standard “single arm wire hook” of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,084 to Valiulis. A second of the display hooks is a “scanner hook” of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,360 to Barnes. The scanner hook includes a lower horizontally extending hanger arm for supporting merchandise and an upper parallel arm for supporting a price tag which may be “read” by an electronic scanning wand.
Like the two display hooks noted above, many display hooks are constructed from a single piece of metal. As such, the end of the display hook typically having the label thereon must be tilted upwardly to a great degree to permit the ends of mounting tabs to enter holes in a peg board. The need for excessive tilting of the display hooks limits the number of locations in the peg board that the display hooks can be placed.
In an attempt to make the installation of a display hook into a peg board easier, display hooks have been separated into two pieces. For example, a two-piece display hook is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,721 to Thalenfeld. In Thalenfeld, a base is first installed into the peg board and, thereafter, a display hook is engaged with the installed base. Unfortunately, installation of the display hook within the base still requires that the display hook be tilted upward. As before, this undesirably limits the locations where the display hook can be employed.
Further, many of the bases for display hooks include a body, or more particularly a central body portion, that is flat or generally planar. Since the base is often formed from a stamped metal, such a planar central body portion can be quite weak and susceptible to bending, creasing, and the like and may simply fail in use. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a hook back with a more sturdy and/or strong central body portion.
Additionally, some of the bases formed by metal stamping require that numerous bends of the metal be performed. Each of these bends takes time and effort to accomplish and, therefore, it would be advantageous to have a base for a display hook that requires fewer bends and/or less manipulation of the metal from which it is formed.
Thus, the related art has failed to provide a commercially feasible and economical display hook that can be installed anywhere on a peg board and is not susceptible to accidental removal.